Index



March 28, F 1 l WASSELL INDEX Filed Feb 17, 1931 2 Sheets-Sheet l gva/vento@ oydwosseu,

March 28, 1933.

F. l.. wAssELL 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Patented Mar. 28,` 1933 ,UNITED STATES FRANK LLOYD WASSELI., OF BUFFALO, NEW YORK, ASSIGNOR INC., 0F BUFFALO, NEW YORK PATENT ori-Ice INDEX Applicationfiled'FebruaryV 17, l1931. Serial No. 516,472.

tance beyond the latter to provide a spacel for indicia which may be readwithout manipulation of the cards.

The invention comprehends the provision of an improved visible index construction wherein a record card is' provided with a stub portion hingedly connected thereto so constructed that it is connected to a support carried by a panel or the like at a plurality of points, so arranged that in the hinging movement of the card the improved type of connection between the stub portion and the support will prevent the stub portion from being withdrawn from the support to such an extent that it will be likely to disengage the support-engaging tongues or' projections on the stub portion from the support. The special structure of the index card and support provided by this 'invention also forms a means of mounting the record-receiving portlon of the card for hinging move-V ment so that it can be hinged to expose the rear side :tor record-receiving purposes in such a way thatvthe card is not likely to become detached from the support, while at the same time the attaching means in the form of tongues provides a means for readily and detachably connecting the card `to the support, and in this way securing a structure wherein the cards can be laid back to use the rear faces so that when laid back the cards will lie substantially flat on the supporting structure therefor.

The invention further comprehends the provision of a special card structure having a stub portion applied to the record-receiv ing portion and formed with a plurality of tongues or other securing `means for detachable connection with a support so arranged that they will'eli'ectively attach the card'to the support along the marginal edge thereof at a numberl of points inn order that the card may be readily hinged about its stub portion without the likelihood of the stub portion becoming detached from the support or the securing means provided on the stub portion becoming mutilated or damaged which would render the attachment ofthe card to the support inefficient for indexing purposes.

The invention provides a panel structureincluding a supporting means for receiving and retaining a plurality of record cards in offset overlapping relation thereon in which the supporting portions areformed to provide a plurality of oii'set retaining lflanges, some of which are adjacent the center portion of the panel or supporting member while other portions are adjacent the edge portion of said panel. These retaining or supporting members on the panel receive and slidably support the stub portions and record members carried thereby so that supporting portions for the record members are4 provided Vat spacedV points along one edge of the record members. or" construction the tendency of the record members to flex the stub portions so as t0 disengage them 'from the retaining flanges or supporting members is considerably reduced and substantially eliminated due to the cooperation between the stub portions and securing means thereon with the retaining or supporting members providing for the irm connection between the stub portions and the retainingmembers or supports while the record-receiving portionsr are adapted for free hinging movement on said stub portion.

In the accompanying drawings:

Fig. l is -an elevational view showing a series Vof cards mounted on the support.

' Fig. 2 is an elevational view of the support.

Fig. 3 is a transverse sectional view on line 8*-3 of Fig. 2. v

Fig. 4 is a transverse sectional'view of a modiied construction.

Fig. 5 is an elevational view of one of the cards. f Fig. 6 is a fragmentary vperspective View of the support with a card mounted thereon.

Fig'. 7 is an enlarged fragmentary sectional view taken substantially on line 7 -V-7 of Fig.

TO REMINGTON RAN'D In this characterJ 1, showing several cards in their folded position.

As illustrating the principles of my invention there is shown a body member or panel 5 10 provided with a plurality of eyelets 11 by means of which the panel, or a series of panels, may be mounted on a suitable binder or support. The panel is shown as being of greater length than width as this has been l0 found desirable in practice, but other proportions may be used. A card guiding and supporting plate 12 of considerably greater length than width is secured to the panel, as by rivets 13, with its longer sides parallel to 15 and spaced from the long sides of the panel. The long sides of the plate 12 are provided with outwardly offset portions 14 and intermediate and parallel to the portions 14 with "outwardly offset portions 15. As most clearly shown in Fig. 2, the portions 15 are of less length than the portions 14, both of which are formed integrally with the plate. The portions 14 and 15 are spaced from the panel i310 and lie in the same plane, for a purpose to be hereinafter described. Portions of plate 12 are removed adjacent the offset portions 15 in order to permit the tongue portions on the index cards to be freely inserted and acecommodated under said offset portions.

In the modified construction shown in Fig. 4, supporting plates 12', duplicates of the plate 12, are formed with outwardly offset portions 14 and 15 and are mounted on op- 1- Jposite sides of a panel 10 being secured thereto by rivets 13.

A series of index or reference cards 16 formed of iexible material, such as paper or the like, are each formed with a reference l". bearing portion 17 and a pair of spaced stub portions 18 hinged thereto as at 19. Each stub portion is formed with a tongue 20 and an inwardly projecting tongue 21 at the inner end of the stub portion. It will be obvi- I ous that each of the sub]- acent stub sections is received between the tongues and the body of the next above stub section, so that a plurality of these index or record cards may be internested in overlapping visible index relation with a portion of each tongue engaging the offset edge portion 14 of plate 12. The spacing of the tongues 21 is such that when engaged under the intermediate offset portions 15 they closely engage the walls of the intermediate offset portion, assisting in retaining the cards on the support and guiding the cards into the internested relation.

A stop card 22 of heavy cardboard or the like is provided with tongues similar to tongues 20, and a cover portion 23 hinged thereto, as at 24. The tongues engage the offset edge portions 14 preventing lateral displacement thereof, and the stop plates 25 locate the stop card on the support 10, see

` Fig. 1.

From the foregoing description, it will be apparent that an index iile construction hasv been provided in which the provision of means engaging the stub portions of the cards at a position centrally located between the side edges in addition to the other attaching tongues, insures the retention of the stub portions in substantially flat overlapped relation on the supporting panel during the hinging movement of any card or cards to prevent the likelihood of any card becoming accidentally detached from the retaining strip or deformed to an extent that it will interfere with the efficient use of the index.

I claim:

1. An index or record card comprising a sheet having a reference-bearing portion, a plurality of stub portions, each stub portion being independently hinged to a common margin thereof, and a plurality of supportengaging means on each stub portion for detachable engagement with a support.

2. An index or record card comprising a sheet having a reference-bearing portion, a plurality of stub portions hinged to one margin thereof in alined relation, and a pair of support-engaging means formed on each stub portion for detachable engagement with a support.

3. An index or record card comprising a sheet having a reference-bearing portion, a plurality of spaced stub portions, hinged thereto in alined relation, and outer and inner support-engaging means on each stub portion for detachably securing the card to a writing support having outer and inner offset card engaging and supporting portions, said means cooperating to maintain the alined relation of the stub portions.

4. An index or record card comprising a reference bearing portion, a plurality of stub portions hingedly connected to one margin thereof in spaced alined relation, a tongue formed from the body of each stub portion to engage a support, and a tongue formed on one end of each stub portion to further engage a support, said tongues cooperating to maintain the alined relation of the stub portions.

5. A support for index or record cards comcomprising a substantially rectangular body member, a plate having outwardly offset card guiding and supporting edge portions, intermediate outwardly ofset card guiding and supporting portions formed from the plate parallel to the aforesaid offset portions, said offset portions lying in the same plane, and

means for attaching the plate to the body member.

7. In an index or le, the combination of a panel, a support mounted on the panel, an index or reference card having a referencebearing portion and stub portions hinged to one margin thereof, and a plurality of support-engaging means on each stub portion for detachably engaging the support.

8. In an index or le, the combination of a panel, a support, a plurality of index or reference cards each having a referencebearing portion hinged thereto and a plurality of stub portions hinged to one margin thereof, each stub portion having a tongue formed from the body thereof for engaging and locating the next subjacent card of the series in an offset visible indexed relation to the card above, and a tongue formed thereon to further engage the support.

9. In an index or file, the combination of a substantially rectangular body, a plate formed with integral offset card guiding and supporting edge portions and intermediate integral offset card guiding and supporting portions parallel to the aforesaid offset portion, means for attaching the plate to the body, a plurality of index or reference cards each having a reference bearing portion and a plurality of stub portions hinged to one margin of each card, each stub portion having a tongue formed from the body thereof for detachable supporting engagement with the offset edge portions of the support and for locating the next subjacent card of the series in an offset visible indexed relation to the card above, and a tongue formed on one end of each stub portion for detachable engagement with the intermediate guide and supporting portion.

l0. In an index device, a panel, a supporting member connected thereto and comprising as a unitary structure a pair of spaced oppositely extending marginal flanges spaced from said panel, and a pair of oppositely extending flanges intermediately disposed between said first-named flanges.

FRANK LLOYD WASSELL 

